Meghan + Colin | Atlanta, Georgia

In honor of their one year anniversary... I felt that it was the perfect time to get back to blogging (can you tell we were busy this year?)! Meghan and Colin wed in August of 2015 at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Buckhead, with a fun reception at Summerour Studio in Westside. Meghan was so fun to work with, she has a great eye for style and knew the direction she wanted to take with her overall wedding design. I enjoyed getting to know her and her now husband, Colin, and it was easy to see how well they fit each other! 
Their wedding day was complete with a fabulous list of vendors, a wild wedding party and just a little drizzle of rain here and there! We accented their reception venue with a natural color palette but added a few soft pops of blush and ivory to give it a more unique look. I absolutely love this European-inspired venue, and adding lush Cafe au Lait Dahlias in her florals really softened the industrial architecture! This day remains a favorite wedding day of mine! Happiest First Anniversary Meghan and Colin! I know the best is yet to come for y'all! 

Florals, Stationery, Planning: Victoria Austin Designs
Photography: Andy Brophy of OneNine Images, Videography: Bob's Eye View Weddings, Catering: Bold American Events, DJ: Mike Jones Entertainment, Cake: Cecilia Villaveces Cakes, Linen: La Tavola, Bridal Gown: The Sentimentalist, Bridesmaids: Bella Bridesmaids, Atlanta and more!
xoxo,
Tori

Updated Branding + New Year

WOW! What a beautiful, sparkly and brand-spankin-new year it is! I absolutely love ringing in a new year, which you may already know if you have read my blog for a few years. Next to that, I love new months, and Monday mornings (okay not always). But all have one thing in common, a fresh start. Sure you can start fresh on any given day or hour or moment, but there is nothing like the new year. It restores hope and momentum, it refreshes the soul!

2015 is looking brighter than ever for me and my little business. I recently updated this ever-changing website and got down the the nitty gritty of my branding and heart behind VAD. For what seems like forever, I have been chasing the next best thing, never appreciating what's right in front of me, and thus, missing the greatest opportunities of all. I spent a lot of time hustling for others, and not enough for myself or my own budding business. I always had the mindset that helping others when they need it will eventually pay off in my own business endeavors, and I still whole-heartedly believe that. But that won't work unless I work. I can't neglect my own business goals and fill my plate with others dreams, it just doesn't work like that! The past few months have brought a whole heck of a lot of clarity and all new business + personal goals.
My goals for this year are to grow physically, mentally, spiritually and financially. I hope to continue to meet amazing vendors, brides and new friends along the way. My new website gives brides a clearer depiction of my services and my aesthetic (thanks to Kaylie Poplin..more on that later). I want to have fun this year! When I started, it was all fun and new. Of course like any small business, the pressure of profit, comparison, competition, exhaustion and time management emerged and I lost track of what I even enjoyed about it anymore. So I asked myself, what do I enjoy about V.A.D and what I do?
1. The sale. That sounds wrong, but I LOVE meeting new brides. I love learning about their plans and selling my services that can help them. This is where it all begins.
2. The process. Yep, not every day is roses and sunshine but I enjoy coming up with the plans for a wedding day, tiny edits in an invitation suite, drafting floral proposals that are customized to each and every client, and even putting out fires.
3. The final product. The wedding day, the mailed-out invitations, the bride's bouquet. All of these are my miniature trophies! I always encourage my clients to be honest with me because I know that I will LOVE the final product, and I want them to even more.
4. The clients and vendors. I love having lifelong friends after a project is completed. Some would say that isn't professional or "how it works", but I don't really care. I like that my clients can call or text me whenever, pick my brain about stuff before and after the wedding, etc. I love working with vendors who become friends, supporters and confidants. There is no support system out there like the authentic and transparent peers in your industry. I hope to see a lot more of those ones this year!
Somewhere throughout the year, I lost a bit of that passion. Although a big year for growth, it still lacked in some aspects of fulfillment. I've learned to "stop the glorification of busy". Everyone is their own kind of busy. But we make time for the things and people that are important to us. There are only so many hours in the week, but it is enough time to get through my to-do list and have a night of rest, a night of fun, etc. It is all about our priorities. If you answer, "so busy", every time someone asks you how you are, your priorities need to shift. Taking time off for Thanksgiving and Christmas really made this so evident to me, and although only 7 days in, has given me a new perspective of my calendar (and inbox) this year.

Enough from my soap box for now! I have so much to share with y'all (including all the fun behind those photos above). I am probably making a big "blogger no-no", but I'll be posting a few times a day throughout the week to share what I have been up to lately and what V.A.D. has going on this year! I absolutely cannot wait to see what 2015 has in store for both myself and for you!
xoxo,
Tori